Nan Shepherd: ‘The Living Mountain’

40 page MS book, black stick ink and gouache illustrations with thumbprints on Zerkall paper, blue Canson endpapers, Khadi paper covers, printed jacket. Completed February 2016

A friend gave me a copy of The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd with Robert Macfarlane’s introduction. Inspired by Shepherd’s work, I made a solo walk to Ben Macdui in the Scottish Cairngorm mountains, the last day of which was in a complete white out. Fortunately, I was able to navigate by compass bearings until I found the deep rift of the Lairig Ghru, which resolved all problems of navigation. I was particularly moved by the last chapter of Shepherd’s book: ‘The journey is itself part of the technique by which the god is sought. It is a journey into Being; for as I penetrate more deeply into the mountain’s life, I penetrate also into my own.’